Lint filters and bleach dispensing devices



July 14, 1970 P. w. DOUGLAS LINT FILTERS AND BLEACH DISPENSING DEVICESFiled Aug. 1, 1968 luv! r INVENTOR Peyton W. Douglas United StatesPatent 3,520,156 LINT FILTERS AND BLEACH DISPENSING DEVICES Peyton W.Douglas, Bemus Point, N.Y., assignor to Blackstone Corporation, acorporation of New York Filed Aug. 1, 1968, Ser. No. 749,482 Int. Cl.D06 29/00, 39/08 US. Cl. 68-17 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREpenser and particularly to a removable apparatus-for. placement on theagitator of a washing machine to act as a filter for recirculating waterand, at the same time,

as a feeder for bleach or other wash'water additive.

There are many patents in the art relating to devices for introducingbleach into a clothes washing machine. In some patents, this isaccomplished by adding liquid bleach to the outside tub of a dual tubarrangement 'to be diluted before it enters into the wash water in theinside tub. In other-cases, it is accomplished by actuating a solenoidcontrolled container and directing the bleach into the wash water at apre-selected time. Still another form of bleach adding means is that inwhich the liquid bleach is introduced into the wash water throughrecirculation compartments by means of the recirculating pump. I do notknow of any apparatus in which a bleach compartment and a rinse agentcompartment are attached to the agitator in combination with a lintfilter. There have been rinse agent compartments attached to the lintfilter as in my Pat. 3,085,418 and others. These compartments act as acontainer for fabric conditioner or rinse agent which must be intoducedinto the water during the rinsing cycle which comes after the washingand the spin out cycle. Such rinse agents cannot be introduced into thewash water during the washing cycle and these devices of the prior artare not designed to accomplish this purpose. As a matter of fact, if onewere to add the rinse agent to the wash water, it would kill thedetergent suds and the dirt removing ability of the detergent, thusdestroying the entire effectiveness of the wash cycle. In these priorart structures, the fabric conditioners must be held in the dispenserduring both the wash and the spin cycle without any of the materialbeing introduced into the washer and they must then be introduced intothe first or second clear rinse water in order to soften clothes, removestatic electricity and give the user a soft wash. In the presentinvention, I provide not only a dispenser which adds bleach or otherwash water additive such as detergent in a diluted condition directlyinto the wash cycle using either the liquid or the granular form ofadditive at a delayed time with the assistance of the recirculatingwater which passes through the lint filter when the washer begins itswashing cycle but also a rinse agent dispenser. At the same time asbleach is added, detergent or soap, dry or liquid, may be added to thebleach compartment with the bleach if desired and it too will be dilutedand sequentially added to the wash water at the proper time. The presentinvention has very real advantages over de 3,520,156 Patented July 14,1970 vices of the prior art. It adds the bleach or soap, or both, as thecase may be, in gradual amounts as needed in the appropriate cycle ofthe wash operation and thereafter adds the rinse additive during thedeep rinse cycle. Since the wash additive is introduced through anoscillating lint filter as it is here, it helps to keep the filter areaclean and free from stickiness as distinguished from those instanceswhere a rinse additive is added through the lint filter in the rinsecycle. It eliminates the problem of clogging which characterizes manybleach and detergent additive devices of the prior art and by reason ofits oscillating motion, it keeps the whole apparatus clean through thefact that the lint, rolling up into a ball as it does on the filter,picks up particles and maintains the holes of the filter clean at alltimes.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide a combined lintfilter, wash agent dispenser and rinse agent dispenser comprising anannular filter member hav ing perforations in the surface thereof, avertical upstanding outer rim on said lint filter, an inner annular cupwithin the annulus of the filter area and beneath said filter area, acylindrical post engaging member within the annulus of the cup adaptedto fit over the top of the agitator of a washing machine and having anupstanding rim forming a cylindrical cup. An inturned flange ispreferably provided at the top of the upstanding outer rim to preventthe lint from being thrown out during the spinning operation.

In the foregoing general description, I have set out certain objects,purposes and advantages of my invention. Other objects, purposes andadvantages of this invention will be apparent from a consideration ofthe following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan of a combination filter and wash agent dispensingdevice according to my invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 11-11 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. '3 is a second embodiment of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated a washing machine having atub 10 and a central agitator post 11. The agitator post is providedwith the lint filter, wash agent dispenser and rinse agent dispenseraccording to my invention. The lint filter wash-agent rinse-agentdispenser is made up of a hollow cylindrical center post engaging member12 adapted to fit over the top of the agitator post having anintermediate plate 12a form a cylindrical rinse agent cup 12b directlyon top of the agitator. The member 12 is surrounded by an annularcupshaped portion 13 adapted to hold a wash agent. Above and outside thecup-shaped portion 13 is a flat annular lint filter member 14 havingholes 15 provided with an outer vertically upstanding cylindrical wall16. The wall 16 is provided with a spin out bafiie 17 which fits overthe outer wall 16 and carries an inturned flange 18 which prevents lintfrom being thrown out during the spin operation. A recirculation nozzle20 is provided from the conventional pump mechanism of the washingmachine to recirculate water back to the lint filter and through thefilter area into the wash tub proper in the usual manner ofrecirculating washers.

In operation, the lint filter and wash agent dispenser of my inventionoperates as follows. The cap member 12 is placed over the top of theagitator post 11. The wash agent such as bleach is added into the cup 13and the rinse agent into cup 12b and the machine is started. As washwater is recirculated from the tub 10 through nozzle 20, it isdischarged onto lint filter member 14 and cup portion 13 where a portionof it dilutes the wash additive in the cupshaped portion 13. As themachine operates, the diluted wash agent overflows portion 13 ontofilter member 14 and passes through holes 15 into tub 10 where it mixeswith the clothes and wash water.

This dilution and addition is continuous until the wash agent isentirely transferred from cup portion 13 to tub The filter member 14removes lint from the recirculating water and by reason of itsreciprocating action, causes the lint to form balls which roll back andforth keeping the filter surface clear of particles which retardfiltration and water flow.

When the wash cycle is concluded the usual spin and rinse cycle is begunwith the whole tub and agitator unit rotating at increased speed. Thiscauses the rinse agent to be forced upwardly over the upper edge of cup12b by centrifuga'l action and to be discharged into cup 13 from whichit is carried over the holes 15, collected into area 1612 between flange18 wall 16 and flange 14 and upon stopping of the spinner tub 10, therinse agent or fabric conditioner will drop through holes 15 into thetub-later to be diluted in the deep rinse water. The area of flange 14adjacent wall 16 is without holes equal to the inward flange 18 this 16barea traps the fabric conditioner in the spin cycle. v

In FIG. 3 I have illustrated a second embodiment of my invention inwhich a hollow cylindrical agitator engaging member 32 is adapted to fitover an agitator post 11: The member 32 is surrounded by an annularcupshaped portion 33 adapted to hold a Wash agent. Above and outside thecup-shaped portion 33 is a flat annular lint filter member 34 havingholes 35 and provided with an outer vertically upstanding cylindricalwall 36. Prefer ably the wall 36 is provided with an inturned flange 37at the top which acts as a spin out bafile. A removable rinse holdingcompartment and cup assembly 38 are removably attached to the agitatorengaging member 32. This assembly is made up of a holding compartment 39having an opening 40 in thebottom adapted to slide over the member 32and provided with drain opening 41. A

central cup 42 is fixed with compartment 39 and is at-' tached theretoby spaced arms 43 separated by openings 44 communicating with theinterior of compartment 39.

In operation the device of FIG. 3 operates in generally the same fashionas that of FIGS. 1 and 2 except that when the Wash cycle is completedand the spin cycle begins, a rinse agent in cup 42 is forced up and overthe edge of cup 42 through openings 44 into holding 4: ompartment, whereit ,is. held ageinstthelperipherq wall by centrifugal force. When thespin stops the rinse agent flows through openings 41 into annular cup 33from which it is discharged in the next spin cycle as described inconnection with FIGS; 1 and 2.

While I have illustrated and described. a 'pre'sently preferredembodiment ofmy invention in the foregoing specification, it will beunderstood that this inventio'n rnayi be otherwise embodied within thescop je 'ofthe following claims.

I claim: I z l 1. A combination lint filter, Wash agenfdispen s e'r andrinse agent dispenser for use inawashing machine having a recirculatingwater system, a reciprocating agitator member and a spin-rinse cyclecomprising an annular filter member having perforations in the surfacethereof, a vertical upstanding outer rim on said"filt'e'r'merriber* an"inner annular 'cup' within the annulusof "the-filter area and beneathsaid filter'ara and 'an ag'i'tator en agin meni: ber within the annulusof the 'c'up separated intofupper and lower cup-shapedmembers;-"the]upperradaptecl -tof receive rinse agent and theloweradapted to fit over-"and engage the agitatorr'nember: i

2. A combination lintfilter, wash agent dispenser and rinse agentdispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein said outer rim is-providedwithan intu'rne d topfi'ang'e.

3. A combination lint filter; wash" agent-dispenser and rinse agentdispenser as claimed in claim -Lwherein the inner2-annular cup is joinedto the'filter by'aslopirrg' side wallr v 1 7 References Cited- "'1 f iIT D S AI e AiB T 3,6 6- 3/1961 Devery et al,- v 68 t]; 3,085,418 4/1963Douglas 3,197,981 8/1965 MoreyetaL 3 1 3,248,914 5/1966v Tingley 17 vp-Ellio tt- 68- 18 xR ROBERT L. BLEUTGEjlrimary Eiannnr US. 01. X. R.

